BAND MUSIC

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 50, 22 November 1932, Page 11

BAND MUSIC

Contest at Masterton ADJUDICATOR’S VIEWS “Own Selection” a Mistake “To most brass bandsmen the band becomes their religion,” said Mr. R. J. Estall, conductor of the Woolston (Christchurch) Band, who has been adjudicating the Masterton contest for B and C grade bands. “That is why people get real thrills at contest time. Bands become so well trained, aud the members so keen that you get moments of inspiration that you seldom get out of a military band. Listen to the records of the regimental bands at Home. They are all made up of splendid players technically and play in tune, but is there any great inspiration in their work? They are, in my opinion, mechanical in action, as the players are all paid and they play so much of their music over and over again under similar conditions that they do not strain to achieve the maximum beauty in the music. Retain Their Enthusiasm. “Cnee a bandsman always a bandsman is very true,” continued Mr. Estall. “Do you know there were dozens of old bandsmen at Masterton on Saturday who were at the Hastings contest in 1903, listening and criticising with all their old zest, and not omitting to tell one another how good they were in their day. “I’ll be one of them soon, I suppose/' said Mr. Estall. “I was a member of the old Wellington Garrison Band under Captain Thomas Herd. I have been, with the Woolston Band for 35 years, and conductor since 1915. It is my one boast that my band has never been out of the prize list, and has won over £2OOO in prize-money. - “As to the B and C grade bands at the Masterton contest,” continued Mr. Estall, “I found that, generally speaking, they were on the right lines and. were the making of good bands. With good training under competent conductors, and plenty of practice, there is no reason why some of them should pot aspire to the A grade before very long. It is the band —and the conductor — which make their own grade. Generally the mpsical ideas and technique were pretty' sound. The Main Fault. “The main fault, as I pointed out up there, was the lack of perfect tuning, usually worst in the bass section,” said Mr. Estall. “You won’t get perfect tone until you get perfect pitch, and it appears to me that too little pains is taken by players to achieve perfect pitch, with the result that the tone of the band suffered. This is not always attainable by the . mere use of the valves. The note must be truly blown. I once heard Mr. E. C. Derry, the brilliant cornetist, demonstrate how bv blowing a note on an open valve be could sound a clear C and also B natural —a full tone below — simply by the way he blew. Other faults noted were those in attack and release, when instead of finishing and ending, in a clear warm-toned note there was a jerkiness which divided the phrase, particularly in the release —an almost unconscious action of the tongue where none was needed to get a smooth musical- finish. In playing syncopated music some of the good bands gave the accent at the end instead of the beginning of the note. “The first prize went to the Wellington Artillery Band. It was tar from a faultless performance, but there was quality, some brilliant moments, and continuity of idea in the interpretation of the selection. There wore faults of intonation in the fundamentals of this band. The Levin Band (C grade), thanks to efficient training and control, was at all times musical, and was a treat to listen to. “Not a Real Test.” “The ‘own selection’ contest is not a real test,” said Mr. Estall, “as many of the bands deliberately handicap themselves in the piece they select, while others may make a lucky strike. Some of the bands selected very worthy music, and others music of a more simple and primitive character. Yet, strange to say. in some instances the bands played the heavy difficult passages well, and fell down on the easy stuff. On the whole I don’t think I would like to judge another ‘own selection’ contest I” Mr. Estall concluded his remarks by noting the increasing favour brass bands were commanding in EnglandAt one time only bandsmen wrote for brass bands, but now Sir Edward Elgar, Dr. Thomas Keighley, Gustav Holst, Bercy Fletcher, Dr. Jenkins, Cyril Scott, Bantock, John Ireland, and other eminent composers were writing fine symphonic music for brass bands.